Availability of New Funding Fast-Tracks Green Industrial Transformation : At the end of November, as part of his Ten Point Plan to ‘Build Back Better’, Boris Johnson committed nearly £500 million to accelerate the UK’s transition to net-zero vehicles. This week the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) is launching its latest round of funding for projects looking to scale-up the industrialisation of low-carbon emission vehicle technologies and their associated upstream supply chains.

Awarded as part of the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF), part of the money will fund feasibility studies that evaluate the viability of developing large-scale manufacturing facilities, advanced manufacturing processes and product manufacturing scale-up for a future automotive supply chain.

Julian Hetherington, Director of Automotive Transformation at the APC says: ‘We know the automotive industry is at a crucial turning point; not only with developing its next generation of low-carbon vehicle architectures, but also with the rapidly changing regulatory and consumer environments. With the Automotive Transformation Fund we plan to provide stability, ultimately through capital investment support, for a sustainable UK automotive sector, delivering a zero carbon-emissions future.’

This latest call for applicants follows the inaugural competition conducted earlier this year, which resulted in funding for 31 feasibility studies across a broad scope of advanced manufacturing and product scale-up, across the technologies of batteries, power electronics, motors and fuel cells.

Hetherington continues: ‘By funding feasibility studies, we aim to support companies in de-risking the transition to net-zero. Successful projects will need to demonstrate how their study will result in the removal of commercial or technical barriers faced in this transition and support the ATF in its goal of growing a competitive and sustainable UK supply chain.’

Launched in July 2020, the ATF builds on the significant R&D base supported through the APC since 2013, helping to form the last part of the bridge from R&D into industrialisation at scale. The programme can provide support for investment in key vehicle technology areas such as batteries, fuel cells, motors, drives and power electronics, and crucially their upstream supply chains – the key to enabling global competitiveness.

To find out more about the ATF and how you can apply for funding for your feasibility study visit https://www.apcuk.co.uk/opportunities-for-you/automotive-transformation-fund/

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